The weight of Ithil’s anger pressed down on me, suffocating and inescapable. I stood frozen, like a solitary figure caught in the eye of a storm, her fury a tangible force that seemed to drain the air from my lungs.
"Ithil, a little courtesy—like knocking—wouldn’t have hurt," Ruth muttered, her voice low and taut with frustration. Her clenched teeth betrayed her restraint.
Ithil dismissed her with a wave of her hand, the motion was sharp and brimming with disdain. The gesture sent a ripple of energy through the air, rattling the mansion’s windows until they trembled like leaves in a storm.
Did I really think I could outmanoeuvre her? Foolishly buy myself enough time to craft a strategy? The thought turned bitterly in my mind, a realization of just how naïve I’d been.
The silence broke as two more elves appeared beside Ithil, their arrival seamless and unnerving. Their presence amplified the tension in the air, of course, she wouldn't come to face someone like Jezebel alone.